If I had to pick one recipe that symbolizes Carb-Conscious Thanksgiving Recipes for me it would be this Low-Sugar (or Sugar-Free) Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake that I first made for Thanksgiving 2006. This pumpkin cheesecake is a perfect Thanksgiving dessert for anyone who's watching their sugar intake. I do have to be honest and say that the cheesecake with a small amount of regular sugar has the best flavor, but even the sugar-free version is really good!

I originally posted this as two separate recipes, but when I decided to make the cheesecake in a Springform Pan and re-shoot the photos I decided to combine the posts and let you make the choice of which version you'd like. You can make this delicious cheesecake with all sweetener, or add a small amount of sugar for a low-sugar version.

You can also make this in a purchased graham-cracker crust (which does add more sugar.) Or if you don't care about dieting or limiting sugar, you could definitely make the recipe with all sugar and it would still be a pretty low-sugar dessert.

I tested the recipe with both a 9-inch Springform Pan and a 7-inch Springform Pan, and both worked fine (although I prefer the thicker cheesecake with the smaller pan.) I used a low-fat Greek yogurt and cream cheese combination. Beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and the sweetener(s) you're using. Then add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined.

Measure one cup vanilla cheesecake mixture and spread it in the bottom of the Springform Pan of your choice (or in the 9-inch purchased Graham Cracker Crust.) Then mix the canned pumpkin and spices into the remaining batter and spread the pumpkin cheesecake layer over the vanilla layer

Bake the cheesecake in a preheated 325F/170C oven for 35-45 minutes. (It will be a shorter time for the thinner cheesecake, but I cooked it the whole 45 minutes for the thicker one.) Cheesecake is done when the center seems set. Let cool, then chill for several hours or overnight. And the bottom two photos above show my two versions with the thinner cheesecake made in a 9 inch Springform Pan and the thicker one made in the 7-inch Springform Pan. Needless to say, both tasted great!

This is definitely one of my favorite low-sugar Thanksgiving treats!

Low-Sugar (or Sugar-Free) Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

(Makes 8 servings, recipe originally from AllRecipes with adaptations by Kalyn. Thanks to Laura who shared the recipe on my niece Andrea's recipe site.)

Equipment:

I like this best made in a Springform Pan to eliminate the need for the Graham Cracker Crust. Use a 9-inch Springform Pan for a thinner cheesecake or a 7-inch Springform Pan for a thicker one.

Preheat oven to 325F/170C. In large bowl combine softened cream cheese, sweetener of your choice, sugar (or another 1/4 cup sweetener for sugar-free version) and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Remove one cup of batter and spread into bottom of Springform Pan or over bottom of the graham cracker crust.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin or apple pie spice to remaining batter and stir until blended. Carefully spread pumpkin layer over first layer in the crust. Bake in preheated oven 35-45 minutes, or until center is barely set. (Use shorter baking time for a thinner cheesecake, but if you make the thicker one it will probably need the whole 45 minutes.)

Allow the cheesecake to cool; then chill several hours or overnight. Cut into eight pieces and serve with whipped cream if desired. This will keep for a few days in the fridge, but you probably won't have any leftovers.

Even without the added sugar, pumpkin has carbs, so this recipe would never be offically approved for Phase One. And obviously if you're actively dieting or trying not to gain weight, the sugar-free version of this recipe is best. If you make the low-sugar verion it's definitely a "once in a while treat" for the South Beach Diet, best saved for a holiday like Thanksgiving.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

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43 comments:

I'm kind of surprised that no one has noticed that the carb count on the AllRecipes post is higher than what I listed for the full sugar version. Just in case someone does notice, I added up the carb counts on the packages of the ingredients I used and then divided by eight for eight servings. Remeber I skipped the whipped topping which does have carbs. I think various brands of things like canned pumpkin can be different, and I always choose the one with the least carbs when I'm shopping. I'm confident that my numbers are correct for the brands I used. I used Libby canned pumpkin if anyone is interested.

Hi, Kalyn, not sure if you will see this comment as it is almost a year since the original post, but here goes. I was looking for something to make for Thanksgiving dessert, but did not want to make the "usual" pumpkin pie. Last year, a restaurant near where I used to live made an amazing pumpkin cheesecake pie. It was completely blended, no separate layer of cheese but the recipe I found for one similar just didn't do it for me. My favorite dessert is cheesecake, my Mom's version with layer of cream cheese then a layer of sour cream. Totally delish, now I am craving! ;~) In any case, your recipe sounded like it fit the bill, so made it last night to try tonight, a test run, so to speak. Well, both my Mom and Dad thought it was great, I was more along the lines of "this is one of the best things I have ever eaten"!

Thanks so much for your blog, I look forward daily to reading, in fact, seem to spend a good portion of my time online reading the blogs I subscribe to then adding recipes to my virtual recipe box.As bad as I used to be what with saving all those torn from magazines in numerous manila file folders, filling all those hanging files to bursting. I am sure you can relate.

Elaine, thanks for the nice feedback. I also adored this recipe, in fact I'm making it this year for the Thanksgiving dinner I'm going to at my sister's house. (And I can definitely relate to spending hours reading blogs and saving recipes! But isn't it so much fun!)

So I made this again this weekend for some of my wife's family who were over to watch a football game. They loved it and I put Cool Whip Free on it. Delicious. If anyone hasn't tried this they're missing a really yummy dessert. Only problem is it's addictive. Have to be careful or I could eat the whole pie.

I don't know if you'll see this comment since this is an old post, but I made this and it is super delicious. However, I must have done something wrong because my pumpkin layer was not very thick and did not cover the cream cheese layer. It doesn't seem as though 1/2 cup of pumpkin is enough. Did I read that wrong? Any advice?

Your blog has single handedly made it possible for me to be successful on the South Beach diet, and I want to THANK YOU for taking the time to post amazing recipes. Since it's Valentine's Day, I decided to make the pumpkin cheesecake even though it's traditionally more of a Fall treat. We think it's AH-MA-ZING!!!

This pumpkin pie was delicious! My family loved it too. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. Because of your site, my family is eating very healthy. Almond flour is a wonderful product too. Thanks for pointing out that we can get it in Utah. I run up to Honeyville in SLC once a month now. :) Tam

Hi, Kalyn! Just found your site while looking for desserts to make lower on the glycemic index. I am avid baker and my sister and I (we live together) are both diabetics. She has been on me about making so many desserts-but that is how I relax! I made this layered cheesecake last nite....and we LOVED it! Thank you so much! I am often on the anti-Splenda band wagon, but do have some and used it in this and it was delicious! Thanks also for the review on Stevia in the Raw. I have been using Truvia and such for awhile, but sometimes taste the bitterness. I will definitely be trying Stevia in the Raw! Great site! Can't wait to try more recipes!

Kalyn, this was really great. I made a crust with almond flour to keep the carbs down. I made it with sweet potato instead of pumpkin. I bought the yellow sweet potatoes by mistake, so it didn't have the visual impact that the orange ones would have, but the flavor was spot-on. Thanks!

Hi Sarah. I like the layering too, although I think this would be good if you just mixed the pumpkin into the whole thing as well. I have a Sunbeam mixer, but truthfully I think they're pretty standard. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on one (I think mine was about $15 on sale!)

Ok, that's it, I'm making pumpkin cheesecake this weekend! I have been dreaming (seriously, I did :) ) about making one with those triple ginger snaps from Trader Joes as the crust...now I have the perfect recipe to go with!

Hi Kalyn - I'm GF/Sugar-Free and interested in trying this out. Do you think using liquid Stevia would off the measurements of sugar? Also, can I use a Pyrex pie dish with a crust instead of spring form? If so, what do you recommend time/temp?

I've never cooked with liquid Stevia, but I am doubtful you can substitute it here without making the cheesecake too runny. You could definitely use granulated Stevia though. Should be no problem making it in a pyrex pie dish; I don't think the cooking time will be much different, just keep an eye on it the last few minutes.

Hello! I am a gastric bypass patient and cant have alot of sugar with out feeling yucky. I am excited to try to use this recipe. I also do not care for artificial sweeteners at all. I was wondering if you have omitted the artificial sweeteners and just used sugar? If so how did it taste? I want to make this for Thanksgiving but dont have time to make one and try it out before hand. Thanks!!

I'm so happy you're taking the time to comment on Kalyn's Kitchen! I love hearing from people who stop by, especially if you're sharing feedback or asking questions about a recipe I've posted here.

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